Railroad ballast dresser



April 28, 1942.

w. E. HAIST ETAL RAILROAD BALLAST DRE SSER Filed Nov. 7, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wa de //a 2 April 1942- w. E. HAIST ET AL RAILROAD BALLAST DRESSER Filed. Nov. 7, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wade E Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNlTE STATES OFFlflE RAILROAD BALLAST DRESSER Wade E. Haist, Aurora, 111., and Pernal F. Thomas, La Crosse, Wis.

12 Claims.

This invention relates to railway track maintenance equipment and pertains particularly to improvements in apparatus for dressing or leveling ofi the ballast at the sides of the road-bed.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a ballast dressing device which, when moved along the side of a trackway by means of a suitable carrier, functions to level on" the ballast material and to spread the same in a neat path or strip along the side of the trackway and at the same time form the outer edge of the ballast bed in a straight neat line, so that the ballast bed will form an attractive finishing course along the side of the track.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ballast dressing device which will perform the above described function and which in addition, functions as a sub-surface weeder .to .cut up or cut the roots .of weeds growing along the outer side of the smoothed out course of the ballast material to further improve the appearance of the railway road-bed along the sides thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ballast dresser which .has associated therewith .a smoothing or scraper blade which specification, with the understanding, however, 7'.

that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation of a railway fiat car showing mounted upon each of the sides thereof, the ballast dressers of the present invention, the supporting trackway and a portion of the car being in section.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. .3 illustrates in top plan a dresser blade, the figure being a horizontal section .on the line 3-3 of Figure 1. V

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. .3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-.5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-45 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral I generally designatesv a trackway consisting of the usual cross-ties -2 and rails 3. Upon the rails is shown a rubble .car 4 upon which are mounted a pair of ballast dressers arranged to smooth off pr dress the ballast at the two sides of the track. It is to be understood, however, that the use of the two ballast dressers as shown would not be made when ressing double or multiple tracl; road-beds. In this case, one of the dresser blades here shown would be replaced by a straight type of dresser blade such, for example, as is shown in our copending application, Sex, No. 334,248, and such blade would be used on the inside or between the tracks of the road-bed. Such inside dressing blade between the tracks would be disposed perpendicular to the trackway and have the effect of maintaining the proper standard ballast slope and ballast line of road-bed being dressed and will not disturb the ballast condition of the adjoining track.

In accordance with the present invention, the flat car is provided at one side or at both sides with a suitable number of pairs of guide cleats 5 which are alined transversely of the car and which secure to the top of the car an outwardly extending pair of angle beams -B, which are disposed in spaced parallel relation, as shown in Fig. 5. These beams together with the additional structure about to be described form what may be termed an outrigger structure, which is indicated as a whole by the numeral 1. The beams 6 project a substantial distance beyond the side of the fiat car upon which they are mounted and these beams are designed to be shifted transversely so as to adjust the outrigger with respect to the adjacent side of the flat car so as to position the hereinafter described dresser blade in a desired position.

The outer ends of each pair of beams 6 have rigidly secured thereto the vertically disposed spaced parallel track forming angle bars 8 which are arranged so that they will have oppositely directed flanges in a common plane extending lengthwise of the car which constitute guides or tracks 9. These track forming bars 8 extend downwardly a substantial distance below the level of the flat car body and they also project upwardly a substantial distance, as shown, and

have rotatably supported between them the pulley I0.

Extending inwardly and downwardly from the upper ends of the tracks 9 are brace bars II which at their lower ends are secured in a suitable manner to the horizontal bars 5. l'hese brace bars II support between them upon suitable angle plates I2 or in any other suitable manner, a winch I3, which is provided with a hand crank 54 by which its rotation is facilitated, the winch having wound thereon a dresser blade suspending and shifting cable I5, which passes upwardly across the top of the adjacent pulley I and downwardly upon the outer side of the outrigger.

A rearwardly and downwardly extending brace beam l 6 is also connected to the rear one of each pair of track beams to withstand the rearward strain which will be imposed upon the structure when the dresser is in use. This brace beam I6 is slidably engaged at its lower end with a foot bar I1 which is secured as shown in Fig. 2, transversely of the fiat car body.

The ballast dresser unit which is mounted at each side of the flat car is indicated as a whole by the numeral I8. This unit comprises a vertical relatively high and relatively wide outer blade I9, and a smaller inner blade 20. The outer blade or main blade IQ of the dresser unit has secured to its inner edge the hinge strap 2| which are pivotally coupled or joined by means of pintles 22 with the hinge slides 23, which extend across the pair of track beams 8 and are provided with the reverted ends M, which engage across the edges of the tracks 9, as shown in Fig. 3, to have sliding engagement with the tracks. By this arrangement, it will be readily seen that the dresser unit may be vertically shifted on the track bars 8 and this vertical shifting is effected through the medium of the cable I5, which extends downwardly and is attached to the top edge of the blade I9, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The main blade IQ of the dresser unit is bent vertically to form the angle line 25. This angle line is at the outer side of the vertical center of the blade I9, and thus this blade is divided into the inner and outer portions A and B. The angle formed between the portions A and B is an obtuse angle and the larger part or portion A of the blade is arranged to extend obliquely with respect to the adjacent track while the smaller portion B extends perpendicularly outwardly from the track. The blade I9 is held so that the portions will maintain these positions by means of the holding rod 26, which as shown in Fig. 1, is in two portions which are connected by a turnbuckle 2'I, so that lengthening or shortening of the rod may be efiected, the outer end of the rod being attached, as indicated at 28, to the portion B of the blade while the inner end is connected at selected points with the body of the flat car in one of the apertures 29. The brace or holding rod 26 extends from the front side of the portion B of the blade I9 toward the forward end of the flat car and as is shown in Fig. 3, the larger portion A of the blade is directed forwardly or extends in the direction of movement of the flat car so that the ballast which is scraped up by r edge being nearest the trackway. Thus it will be seen that as the ballast is scraped up or spread out, it will be arranged at the side of the trackway as a downwardly sloping shoulder.

The smaller blade 20 of the shaper unit I8 extends inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, at the proper elevation to just clear the tops of the ties 2. This inner blade functions to spread out the ballast material which is worked inwardly to ward the ties by the angled portion A of the main blade and distribute this material evenly between the ties.

Forming a part of the dresser unit I8 and secured to the blade I9 at the angle line 25 is a divider which is indicated generally by the numeral 3| and which is made up of the forward vertical plate 32 and the rear or trailing vertical plate 33. These plates are in alinement as shown in Fig. 3, and parallel the trackway and consequently are in a plane extending perpendicular to the plane of the outer portion B of the large blade. These plates 3233 forming the ballast divider extend at their lower edges a substantial distance below the bottom edge of the portion B to form a cutting shoe S which penetrates the earth and divides the ballast from the sub-grade so as to form a definite ballast line.

The lower part of the portion B of the blade I9 is provided with a transversely extending opening 34 and just below this opening there is formed along the lower edge of this portion of the blade the forwardly and downwardly directed plow blade 35. Extending rearwardly and downwardly from the top of the opening 34 is a defiector plate 36.

In the operation of the ballast dresser, the blade I9 is disposed at the desired elevation so that the inclined or sloping edge will provide the proper angle to the shoulder at the outer side of the trackway and so that the blade 20 will just clear the tops of the ties. When the dresser is then moved along the trackway, the ballast material will be scraped up by the portion A of the blade I9 and the divider 3| will function to form a pocket with the portion A of the blade l9 in which the material Will pile up. As the blade is moved along, this material will be rolled ahead of the blade and will work inwardly toward the ties and also will be distributed over bare or uncovered portions of the ground at the side of the track. That material which moves in onto the tops of the ties will be scraped into the spaces between the ties and smoothed out by the blade 20'. The forward plate 32 of the divider is held against bending from its fixed position with respect to the blade I9 by a tie rod 31.

The cutting shoe S will penetrate into the earth and thus form a definite ballast line along the outer side of the strip of ballast material and the sub-surface weed cutter or plow will enter just below the surface of the earth and cut the roots of grass and weeds for a relatively wide strip along the outer side of the ballast line,

the cut weeds and the surface strip of earth passing across the plow through the opening 34 and being directed downwardly upon the rear side of the portion A by the deflector 36.

Thus it will be seen that the device herein described will operate to perform all of the jobs which are at present done by hand.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway ballast dresser, including a supporting structure adapted to be moved along a trackway, a vertically disposed blade operatively connected with said supporting structure, said blade having an inner lower edge portion for spreading ballast along and shaping a shoulder at the side of the trackway and a substantially horizontally disposed outer lower edge portion,

a ground penetrating shoe carried by said blade and extending below the lowermost part of the lower edge thereof and in the direction of movement of the blade for forming an earth line at the outer edge of the ballast material, and a forwardly extending means at the said horizontal portion of the lower edge of the blade forming a weed cutter.

2. In a railway ballast dresser, including a supporting structure designed to be moved along a side of a trackway, a vertically disposed blade operatively coupled with the supporting structure to extend outwardly therefrom over ballast material disposed at the side of the trackway, :said blade having an inner portion of major width provided with an angled lower scraping edge and an outer portion of less width provided with a horizontal edge, the said portions of the blade being in angular relation and the said major portion extending from the supporting structure in the direction of movement of the blade at an oblique angle to the trackway and the other portion extending outwardly substantially perpendicular to the trackway, and a forwardly extending weed cutting means at the horizontal lower edge of the last-mentioned portion.

3. In a railway ballast dresser, including a supporting structure designed to be moved along a side of a trackway, a vertically disposed blade operatively coupled with the supporting structure to extend outwardly therefrom over ballast material disposed at the side of the trackway, said blade having an inner portion of major width provided with an angled lower scraping 1;

edge and an outer portion of less width provided with a horizontal edge, the said portions of the blade being in angular relation and the said major portion extending in the direction of movement of the blade at an oblique angle to the trackway and the other portion extending outwardly substantially perpendicular to the trackway, a weed cutting means at the horizontal lower edge of the last-mentioned portion,

and a minor scraping blade carried by the first- IL,

mentioned blade and extending inwardly therefrom toward the track and arranged to pass over the track ties.

4. In a railway ballast dresser, including a supporting structure designed to be moved along a trackwa over and adjacent the side thereof, a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed relatively high and relatively wide plate operatively coupled with the structure to extend outwardly therefrom over ballast material at the side of the trackway, said blade having an inner portion which extends forwardly in the direction of travel of the structure and an outer portion which extends outwardly perpendicular to the path of travel, said inner portion having a lower edge shaped to spread the ballast material in a prescribed manner at the side of the trackway, means forming a weed cutter along the lower edge of the outer portion of the blade, and a vertical divider plate carried by the blade and extending transversely thereof at the line of division for the two portions.

5. In a railway ballast dresser, including a supporting structure designed to be moved along a trackway over and adjacent the side thereof,

a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed relatively high and relatively wide plate opera- ,tively coupled with the structure to extend outwardly therefrom over ballast material at the side .of the trackway, said blade having an inner portion which extends forwardly in the direction of travel of the structure and an outer portion which extends outwardly perpendicular to the path of travel, said inner portion having a lower edge shaped to spread the ballast material in a prescribed manner at the side of the trackway, means forming a weed cutter along the lower edge of the outer portion of the blade, and a ground penetrating shoe projecting below said blade and extending in the direction of travel of the same to form an earth line defining an outer border for the spread ballast.

6. In a railway ballast dresser, including a supporting structure designed to be moved along a trackway over and adjacent the side thereof, a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed relatively high and relatively wide plate operatively coupled with the structure to extend ou wardly therefrom over ballast material at the side of the trackway, said blade having an inner portion which extends forwardly in the direction of travel of the structure and an outer portion which extends outwardly perpendicular to the path of travel, said inner portion having a lower edge shaped to spread the ballast material in a prescribed manner at the side of the trackway, means forming a Weed cutter along the lower edge of the outer portion of the blade, and a vertical divider plate carried by the blade and extending transversely thereof at the line of division for the two portions, said divider plate being extended below the lower edge of said blade and forming an earth penetrating shoe extending in the direction of travel of the blade by which there is formed in the ground a channel defining the border of the ballast bed.

7. A railway ballast dresser, comprising in association with a supporting structure designed to be moved along a railway track, a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed plate, means coupling the plate with. the supporting structure by which the plate may be adjusted vertically with respect to the ground, said plate being divided to have an inner portion which has a lower ballast scraping and spreader edge formed to disposed the ballast as an outwardly and downwardly inclined shoulder at the side of the 'trackway and an outer portion having a lower horizontal edge, a weed cutting means extending along the horizontal edge of the outer portion,

a vertically disposed divider plate extending transversely of the blade at the line of division between the inner and outer portions, the lower edge of said divider plate extending below the lowermost portion of the bottom edge of the blade for penetration into the earth.

8. A railway ballast dresser, comprising in association with a supporting structure designed to be moved along a railway track, a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed plate, means coupling the plate with the supporting structure by which the plate may be adjusted vertically with respect to the ground, said plate being divided to have an inner portion which has a lower ballast scraping and spreader edge formed to dispose the ballast as an outwardly and downwardly inclined shoulder at the side of the trackway and an outer portion having a lower horizontal edge, a weed cutting means extending along the horizontal edge of the outer portion,

a vertically disposed divider plate extending transversely of the blade at the line of division between the inner and outer portions, the lower edge of said divider plate extending below the lowermost portion of the bottom edge of the blade for penetration into the earth, said outer portion having an opening therethrough above and in relatively close proximity to said Weed cutter, and a downwardly and rearwardly extending deflector above and partially covering said opening.

9. A railway ballast dresser, comprising in association with a supporting structure designed to be moved along a railway track, a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed plate, means coupling the plate with the supporting structure by which the plate may be adjusted vertically with respect to the ground, said plate being divided to have an inner portion which has a lower ballast scraping and spreader edge formed to dispose the ballast as an outwardly and downwardly inclined shoulder at the side of the trackway and an outer portion having a lower horizontal edge, a weed cutting means extending along the horizontal edge of the outer portion, a vertically disposed divider plate extending transversely of the blade at the line of division between the inner and outer portions, the lower edge of said divider plate extending below the lowermost portion of the bottom edge of the blade for penetration into the earth, and a second scraper blade secured to the first blade and extending inwardly therefrom to position over the tops of railway track ties for distributing bale last between the ties.

10. A railway ballast dresser, comprising in association with a supporting structure designed to be moved along a railway track, a scraper blade comprising a vertically disposed plate, means coupling the plate with the supporting structure by which the plate may be adjusted vertically with respect to the ground, said plate being divided to have an inner portion which has a lower ballast scraping and spreader edge formed to dispose the ballast as an outwardly and downwardly inclined shoulder at the side of the trackway and an outer portion having a lower horizontal edge, a weed cutting means extending along the horizontal edge of the outer portion, a vertically disposed divider plate extending transversely of the blade at the line of division between the inner and outer portions, the lower edge of said divider plate extending below the lowermost portion of the bottom edge of the blade for penetration into the earth, said outer portion having an opening therethrough above and in relatively close proximity to said weed cutter, and a downwardly and rearwardly extending deflector above and partially covering said opening, the said inner and outer portions of the blade having an obtuse angular relation and said blade being secured with respect to the supporting structure whereby the inner portion will extend obliquely forwardly with respect to the line of travel of the blade.

11. A ballast dresser, comprising a blade of substantial width and height, the blade having a major inner portion and an outer portion in obtusely angled relation thereto, said blade when in use having the inner edge of the inner portion connected to a movable carrier to be maintained upright, a pair of alined plates secured upon opposite sides of the blade in a plane coincident with the line of joinderbetween the said inner and outer portions, the said plates being extended below the lower edge of the blade to form a divider blade extending in the direction of working movement of the first blade, means carried by said outer portion at its lower edge for cutting through the earth at a predetermined depth beneath the surface, and means forming a part of said outer portion whereby the earth passing over said cutting means may pass to the rear of the outer portion.

12. A ballast dresser, comprising a blade of substantial width and height, the blade having a major inner portion and an outer portion in obtusely angled relation thereto, the inner edge of the inner portion being connected, when the blade is in use, to a movable carrier to be maintained upright, an earth penetrating divider blade carried by the first blade and projecting below the plane of the lower edge thereof, the divider blade having its length extending in the direction of working movement for the first blade, the said outer portion of the blade being provided adjacent its lower edge with an opening extending substantially the full width of the outer portion, a cutting blade extending along the lower edge of said outer portion and having a cutting edge directed in the direction of working movement of the first blade, and a downwardly directed deflector secured to said outer portion above the opening and extending the length of the opening and disposed upon the side of the outer portion opposite from said cutting blade.

WADE E. HAIST. PERNAL F. THOMAS. 

